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Summit supreme

Glancing at the speakers’ list suggests the inaugural Australian Transport Summit could hit some high notes

By David Goeldner | June 26, 2012

A high profile group of Australia’s public transport leaders will come together for the inaugural Australian Transport Summit in Sydney on July 20.

Organised by the Tourism and Transport Forum and the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), TTF Deputy CEO Trent Zimmerman says the provision and reform of public transport is a key issue for many state governments around Australia.

“We believe it is vital to keep these issues firmly on the public and political agenda,” he says, as the primary rationale to convene the inaugural summit.

“TTF has long been an advocate for the private sector to play an expanded role in the provision of public transport services,” Zimmerman says.

“Our paper released last year, ‘Improving your commute’, deals with greater involvement of the private sector, especially developing more customer-centric service models.”

Zimmerman says the summit, in part, maintains the momentum the report generated to ensure that government and the private sector work together to improve outcomes in customer service.

The list of speakers reads like a ‘Who’s who’ of Australian public transport officialdom.

At least four Federal and State Transport Ministers will be at the event, including Anthony Albanese, Gladys Berejiklian, Patrick Conlon and Scott Emerson.

High ranking public transport and civic officials speaking at the forum include new TransLink CEO Neil Scales, WA’s Public Transport Authority MD Mark Burgess, Veolia Transdev CEO Jonathan Metcalfe, NSW Deputy Director-General Tony Braxton-Smith, and Sydney’s Lord Mayor Clover Moore.

Guest speakers from the Middle East, USA and Canada are also scheduled for the TTF-UITP summit.

According to summit co-Chairs Bruce Baird and Vivienne King, the industry’s most influential leaders will not only be at the lectern, but also in the audience.

The Summit will consider current trends and topical issues such how emerging technology will transform the industry.

The July 20 meeting will also address the future role of the private sector in the provision of public transport and where Australian cities will be in 2030.

Included in the program will be a ministerial panel, convened to hear from and converse with transport ministers and other key decision makers.

Zimmerman says the conference will be an opportunity to further progress the ideas canvassed in the ‘Improving your commute’ paper, and to ensure the public and private sectors are aware of the opportunities that exist in this area.

The inaugural TTF-UITP Australian Transport Summit will be held on July 20, 2012 at the Four Seasons Hotel, Sydney.

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